A story about KENT Picture Framing ran in the Thursday, April 30, 2015 issue of The Globe and Mail’s – Report on Business. As part of the Globe’s Small Business series of articles called #TAKEOFF – they discuss issues and ideas relevant to small business owners in Canada. As KENT Picture Framing continues to grow, I was thrilled to have three prominent members of the business community weigh in on the challenges of my small business.

The first day of school is a special one for parents and their children. Your little one has taken his or her first steps into the world. Like most, you’ve taken photographs to remember this exciting day.

I recently framed a set of photographs for a friend of his 4 year old son’s first day of school. The “official portrait” was framed along with some fun outtakes in which the boy showed his excitement and maybe some nervousness towards the “big day”.

Designing and framing this piece got me thinking about my own photograph of my first day of school; and about how most of us have had our picture taken on our first day of school. But where are these pictures today? Some might be printed and framed, but I’m sure many are stored away in photo albums and boxes. If these pictures were taken in the last 15 years or so, many are probably hidden away on phones, digital flashcards or computer hard drives?

KENT Picture Framing would like to encourage people to print, frame and preserve the pictures taken of their children’s first day of school. There are many possibilities. From framing a single portrait, or a series of photographs, to incorporating other items (report cards, awards, etc) within a frame or shadowbox.

We’ve introduced a new SPECIAL for framing “1st Day of School” pictures. Why not have a look for the pictures you’ve taken? Bring them by KENT Picture Framing and have us design something really special. It would make a great gift for someone who has finished school long ago, for someone graduating this year or in twelve years time!

We’ve just received a new piece now framed and available at KENT Picture Framing!

“Alice’s Dream” -1990 Carborundum etching and collage, signed in pencil – Max Papart (1911-1994) Marseille, France. Available for purchase on ARTWORK page. Or feel free to stop in to have a look.

“Max Papart’s paintings and graphics are suffused with sunny humor and the
bright colors of the French Riviera where he was born.

Working in the cubist style, he depicted circus scenes, flirting couples,
soaring birds and similar cheerful subjects with flat, overlapping planes
of contrasting colors and textures.

Max Papart is considered a master printmaker. He was born in Marseille,
France and later moved to Paris where he learned the techniques of classic
engraving. In 1960, he added to the classic processes the technique of
etching with carborundum invented by his friend Henri Goetz. In following
years Papart taught printmaking at the University of Paris VIII-Vincennes.
He continued making his own plates and supervising the hand printing of
his prints until he died in 1995. One of the most intriguing intellectual
concepts which Papart achieves is a “window” through which the viewer
senses the past or future, or even another time or place. It has been said
the Papart does not “paint,” he “composes.” His compositions come together
in a symphony of line, shape and color. Papart always believed that each
painting has its own meaning and needed no interpretation from him. His
paintings, in his own words, “force the viewer to think, and it is for the
viewer to respond to the art based on his own personal experiences.”

We had a nice project come in the door recently. A client of ours had an old sketchbook filled with her Mother’s artwork. The pieces were done in 1961-1962, when her Mother (from Argentina) was 21-22 years old.

This sketchbook was one of the few pieces our client had left of her Mother’s artwork. She wanted to preserve the sketchbook, but display the pieces inside. I suggested that we carefully remove the spiral binding of the sketchbook, and have the pages scanned and reproduced, and then reassemble the sketchbook, back to its original state.

Our client took the pages to TR Trades on West 4th Avenue here in Vancouver. They scanned the pages, and printed them on paper to match, as closely as possible, the type of paper in the sketch book. The prints were so detailed, that the ripples in the pages, and every little imperfection was visible.

The bottom corners were then cut to the same curved shape as the originals. As well, the spiral binding holes were individually punched (by yours truly) with a 1/8″ hole punch.

The original sketchbook is safely stored, and the pieces are on display in a lovely little series. Framed using a delicate antique gold frame from Roma Moulding, with the pieces floating, and we used museum glass for an optimum viewing experience. The final result was beautiful! The reproductions were so close to the original, that others thought our client had framed the original pieces.

Here at KENT Picture Framing, we’re always listening to one of our many favourite radio stations – via our trusty iTunes of course. We try to keep it civilized, and not fight over what we’re going to listen to.

Finding a good balance of music our customers will like, and we’ll like working to is important. One of our favourite stations is BBC Radio 6. A great mix of interviews, documentaries and of course toe-tappin’ tunes.

Anything that keeps the mood light, and keeps us providing friendly service and high-quality picture frames – Of course! Last weekend I sent in a tweet to say “hello” to Tom Robinson while he hosted his program “Introducing”. Below, is Tom’s “hello” to us…

As one might expect, after the broadcast, we would be flooded with calls and emails from across the pond, from people desperate for custom picture framing services. Sadly, this didn’t happen. But it was fun to hear the mention! (I wonder if the Queen tuned in that day.)

In keeping with the Royal theme of my last post; the second part of this framing project was The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. The Diamond Jubilee Medal was presented to 60 recipients from across the country and various walks of life.

This elements being framed in this piece were of course the medal, along with a certificate and letter from The Governor General of Canada.

We used a moulding from Larson Juhl called “Gramercy”, matching fillet for each of the three mat openings, a silk mat, and Conservation Clear ® glass.

It’s been way too long since I last wrote a blog post. I’m a little embarrassed by my lack of regular updates. Thankfully, I can say my reason for it is we’ve just been too busy with framing projects to even think about writing about them. We had a very busy 2012, with many challenging projects completed. The new year has shown no signs of slowing down. Well…maybe a little slow this week. So I’m taking advantage of this quiet time to post a project or two that we’ve been working on.

Prince Phillip Letter

A client of a client received a letter from Prince Phillip in 1994. The two-page letter had been framed previously, but had faded a significant amount. The greeting and signature had been reduced to a faint image, barely visible. A local art dealer had the letter scanned, and the signature digitally “re-constructed” – so to speak.

The client wanted to have the copy of the letter on display in a new frame. But he also wanted the original letter displayed , but not exposed for any long period of time. The solution was quite simple. And it’s something I’ve done many times. We decided to build a double-sided frame. We would show the copy on the front, and the original on the back.

The two page original letter was displayed in a silk mat with a Larson Juhl “Gramercy” frame, matching fillet and Conservation Clear® glass.

The challenge with this type of frame is usually – how to nicely finish the reverse side of the frame to hold everything together?

I wanted to use the same moulding for the back of the frame. I had a half-inch split off the the top of the moulding lengths on a table-saw. I then made a backing frame from this material. The backing frame was then simply secured to the main frame – holding everything together.

The final result is a substantial frame that makes a strong statement. – In which the two sets of letters are easily viewable, protected from further UV damage, and will be safely preserved for generations to come.

In July, Peter Lattimer, owner of Lattimer Gallery, mentioned that he wanted to frame a painted drum skin. It would be a trial piece for a possible show. The drum itself was 36″ in diameter, elk hide skin, and painted on both sides. The artist is Kwakwaka’wakw artist, Steve Smith Dla’kwagila.The drum was one of twelve pieces that were part of an installation at the Vancouver International Airport. Shortly after the drums were installed at the airport, fluctuating temperatures caused the hides to tighten. As a result, many of the drums were warped, split, and had cracked frames.

I started the project and in August the first framed drum was finished. Peter Latimer and the Steve Smith were very pleased with the result.They asked me to frame 15 more for a show at Lattimer Gallery called “State of Flux“ –Opening this Saturday, September 24 – October 8, 2011. – With 4 pieces on display concurrently at the Vancouver International Airport.

Framing the drums presented challenges that don’t often cross my table. The drum hides react to temperature changes. The hide is a tough, rigid material to work with. The original drums, after all were beautiful objects with enough energy and soul to stand alone.The challenge for me was to preserve the drums in a way that was simple, clean and elegant. Part of the process was to cut the drum skins off of the frames. I wanted to make sure that the drums maintained some of their 3-dimensional quality.The drums speak for themselves, so the framing treatment should be minimal.
Below are some images that hopefully gives you an idea of the process, without getting into too many of the really exciting details! (Well, exciting for me anyway…)

The paintings by Steve Smith Dla’kwagila are beautiful. Framing the drums was worth all the labour involved and will always be a very memorable project for me. It was an adventure working on them and in a sense building them their new homes. Im proud to have had a hand in this project. Please be sure to stop by Lattimer Gallery1590 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC. The “State of Flux” show opens this Saturday, September 24 (3:00-5:00) – Until October 8.

For sale is an original, abstract signed Carborundum Etching- on handmade paper – by French artist Max Papart (1911 – 1994). The title of the piece is unknown. Produced in the late 1980’s. The condition of the piece is 9/10.

The paper size: 21″x29″ The framed “outside” size: 25″x33″ The piece is floated on archival, museum Rising matboard. The frame is a water-guilded, gold leaf moulding that was made in France. The glass used is Tru-Vu Conservation Clear.